TIP OF THE WEEK: To review incomplete or certified program forms for your organization, look in the “FCC Forms” section at the bottom of your landing page. You can search by form type and form status (all forms, incomplete forms, or certified forms).

Commitments for Funding Years 2015 and 2014

Funding Year 2015. USAC will release Funding Year (FY) 2015 Wave 39 Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) on March 3. This wave includes commitments for approved requests for all service types and at all discount levels. As of February 26, FY2015 commitments total over $3.04 billion.

Funding Year 2014. USAC will release FY2014 Wave 77 FCDLs on March 1. This wave includes commitments for approved Priority 1 (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) requests at all discount levels. As of February 26, FY2014 commitments total just under $2.28 billion.

We will continue to send out common questions received by our Client Service Bureau (CSB) along with their answers in SL News Briefs to help applicants trying to navigate and file program forms in the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC).

Q. How do I start an FCC Form 470?

A. Log in to your organization’s EPC account. You can start an FCC Form 470 in any of the following ways:

Click the link marked “FCC Form 470” at the top of your landing page; or

Click the name of the parent entity (the first entity name in the “My Entities” section) on the landing page. Then click the button marked “…” at the top of that organization’s page, and choose “Create FCC Form 470” from the dropdown; or

Click the name of the parent entity on the landing page. Click the “FCC Forms” option on the left-hand menu, then click the button marked “Create FCC Form 470” at the top of the page.

Q. How do I start an FCC Form 471?

A. The option to file an FCC Form 471 can be found next to (either just to the right of or just below) the FCC Form 470 options described above. Note that you should review and, if necessary, update your organization’s profile information before you start your form.

For school districts, this includes the profile information for each of your individual schools

For library systems, this includes the profile information for each of your individual libraries.

For consortia, this includes your list of consortium members.

Q. I started a form in EPC but I made too many mistakes and I want to start over. What do I do?

You can discard your form by clicking the “Discard” button at the bottom of any page of your form. You will receive a warning message that, once your discard your form, it will be permanently deleted from EPC. Click “Yes” to discard your form or “No” if you have changed your mind.

Q. My Internet access was interrupted while I was working on my form. What do I do?

A. When you leave a program form before it is certified – voluntarily or involuntarily – EPC will create a task for you to continue working on your form. You can access the task from “My Tasks” on your landing page or from the “Tasks” tab. Look for the task that includes your form number and the nickname you assigned to that form.

If you are a partial rights user and you have completed but not certified your form, you may not see a task. Check with a full-rights user at your organization to see if the task of certifying the form appears in his or her task list.

Q. I get kicked out of my form whenever I follow a link. What can I do?

A. You can usually solve this problem by right-clicking rather than left-clicking the link with your mouse. Right-clicking should give you the option to open the link in a new tab or a new window. When you are finished, you can close the new tab or new window and continue to work on your form.

Q. I set up my password in EPC, but I am not showing up in the list of users for my organization’s account. What should I do?

A. Accept your Terms and Conditions of use. When you log in to EPC, you should see an item under your News tab to accept your Terms and Conditions. Click the hyperlink in the "News" item, review the Terms and Conditions, and click “Accept” at the bottom of the screen. Your name should then show up on your organization’s list of users.

Q. I am the account administrator for my organization. How do I set up a new user?

A. Go to your landing page and click the name of your parent organization (the first entry on the list). Choose “Related Actions” from the left-hand menu and then choose “Create a New User.”

Enter the information requested about the new user. Note that fields marked with a red asterisk are required. Also assign the appropriate level of user permissions (rights). Then click “Continue.”

Review the information you provided. Click “Previous” to correct an entry or “Submit” if all the information is correct.

Note that the employee must follow all the steps, including accepting the Terms and Conditions, before he or she will appear in your list of users.

Q. When I try to create a new user, I get a message that an account with the email address I entered already exists. What do I do?

A. The user you are trying to create already exists in EPC. You will have to use a different email address for the user you are trying to create. Once an email address has been used in EPC to identify a user, that email address cannot be used again, even if that user account has been deactivated.

Q. I have a consultant. Can I create my consultant as a new user on my account?

A. No. To set up a consultant with permissions on your organization’s account, go to your landing page and click the name of your parent organization. Choose “Related Actions” from the left-hand menu and then choose “Manage Organization Relationships.” Click the button marked “Add a Consulting Firm,” perform a search to locate your consulting firm, and check the box to the left of the consulting firm’s name. Then click “Submit” to confirm your choice.

You can then go to “Related Actions,” choose “Add or Remove Existing Users,” select your consultant, and assign the appropriate permissions.

Q. I no longer want to be the account administrator for my organization. What do I do?

Decide which employee at your organization should take over your account administrator role.

If that employee is already set up as a user on your account, go to your landing page and click the name of your parent organization. Choose “Related Actions” from the left-hand menu, then “Modify Account Administrator.” Uncheck the box to the left of your name, check the box to the left of the employee’s name, and click “Continue.” Then verify your change by clicking the green “Submit” button.

If that employee is not in EPC, create that employee as a new user. Then follow the steps in the previous bullet. Note that the employee must complete all of the login requirements, including accepting the Terms and Conditions, before he or she will appear in your list of users.

You can also call the Client Service Bureau at (888) 203-8100 for assistance.